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What does this sentence mean? How do I use it?

Butter my butt, call me a biscuit.

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4
  • monkey's uncle!
    – Kris
    May 15, 2012 at 6:45
  • 2
    "You twist and turn like a twisty turny thing. I say you're a weedy pigeon, Blackadder, and you can call me Susan if it isn't so." Lord Melchett (rather drunk).
    – Tim Lymington
    May 15, 2012 at 8:54
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    Why do we get questions like these? :(
    – tchrist ♦
    May 15, 2012 at 13:11
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    @tchrist what's wrong with it? Isn't this what this site's for?
    – Smig
    Oct 14, 2014 at 17:48

3 Answers 3

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25

It is an expression of surprise. There are quite a few phrases like this associated with rural America. The point is describe something incredibly surprising or that you'd never have thought someone might actually do.

Some more good ones:

  • Paint me green and call me a cucumber.
  • Slap me with bread and call me a sandwich.
  • Pin my tail and call me a donkey.
  • Fry me in butter and call me a catfish.
  • Saddle my back and call me a horse!
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2
  • 2
    Essentially, mock surpise.
    – Kris
    May 15, 2012 at 10:28
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    @Kris No, not necessarily.
    – Konrad Rudolph
    May 15, 2012 at 11:24
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You might say something like this if you just learned something surprising, particularly if it's something contrary to what you previously believed. It implies that you were foolish in your previous belief, so it's a colorful way of saying "Call me a fool (or any other silly-sounding thing), I admit I was mistaken."

A similar one is "Shut my mouth."

As Hydrangea notes, it definitely is a rural American idiom.

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5

Both the above are good. I would add that it sounds ironic - it is too blatantly "redneck" to be used as an exclaim of genuine suprise. It would be used ironically, for example, if something is very obvious.

Secondly, on useage, it should be only informally - it would be seen as unprofessional to use this in any other context than a casual one with peers of your own age that you have known for a long time.

The British (UK) equivalents might be - ironic, meaning that it very obvious: "No shit, Sherlock" i.e sarcastically you have the deductive abilities of Sherlock Holmes (meaning you do not, and rather, you are stating the obvious). A classic British equivalent of these "hick" Americana, would be the superbly understated: "Really?"

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3
  • 2
    Really? ________
    – Kris
    May 15, 2012 at 10:18
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    Yes, irony it is, not real surprise. +1
    – Kris
    May 15, 2012 at 10:26
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    Your British equivalents are also relatively common in American English.
    – jimreed
    May 15, 2012 at 14:26

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